Case Study—Calcium-Carbonate-Scale

Inhibitor Performance Degradation Because

of H2S-Scavenger Injection in Semoga Field
Meiliza Sumestry, SPE, and Hendy Tedjawidjaja, SPE, PT Medco E&P Indonesia

Summary abolic correlation, as shown by the behavior with H2S scavenger

Semoga field is an oil field in the Rimau block, which is located Brand Y or even other correlation types. A proper understanding of
in South Sumatra, Indonesia. There is also a nearby oil field, Kaji scale-inhibitor behavior can prevent a production loss caused by the
field, in this block. These fields experienced reservoir souring and deposition of 8,190 barrels of oil.
suffered a history of calcium-carbonate (CaCO3) -scale cases be-
fore a proper scale-inhibition program was implemented. At the Introduction
end of January 2011, there was a separation-system problem at Semoga field is an oil field in the Rimau block, which is located
free water knock-out (FWKO) #2 Semoga Station. FWKO outlet in South Sumatra, Indonesia. There is also a nearby oil field in this
lines were dismantled for inspection purposes, and it was found block (i.e., Kaji field). All the fluid produced from these fields is
that the oil-outlet line at the downstream of the level control valve gathered into three gathering stations—Kaji Station, Kaji Satellite,
(LCV) was clogged by deposits, leaving an inner diameter (ID) of and Semoga Station. The fields had a history of CaCO3 scale before
only 0.5 in. proper scale inhibition using scale-inhibitor injection was imple-
X-ray defraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) anal- mented. Meanwhile, since the end of 2009, these fields have expe-
yses confirm that the deposit is CaCO3 scale, even though rou- rienced reservoir souring, where H2S is being generated from the
tine scale-coupon monitoring shows very low scale growth. There reservoir and entering the system. To reduce the H2S concentration
is a hydrogen sulfide (H2S) scavenger Brand X injection at the in the facilities, H2S scavenger is injected into the system.
downstream of the LCV on the FWKO #2, with a concentration At the end of January 2011, there was a separation-system
of 11,050 ppm. The scale-inhibitor dosage in the water line on problem at FWKO #2 Semoga Station, which was indicated by oil
Semoga Station was only 9–10 ppm. Laboratory simulation shows carry-over at the water line to Skimmer and an LCV failure at the
that H2S scavenger Brand X injection reduced the scale-inhibi- oil line to normally closed. FWKO outlet lines were dismantled for
tion percentage from 97.2 to 35.3%, with 9 ppm of scale inhib- inspection purposes, and it was found that the oil-outlet line at the
itor. Meanwhile, no deposits were found in the oil-outlet line at the downstream of the LCV was clogged by deposits, leaving an ID of
downstream of the LCV at Kaji Station, which has the same H2S- only approximately 0.5 in. On the other hand, there was no depo-
scavenger-injection point and dosage. The scale-inhibitor dosage sition on the water-outlet line. Dismantling of FWKO #1 Semoga
in the water line at Kaji Station was 17.5–22 ppm. Laboratory sim- Station also resulted in no deposition in either the oil-outlet line or
ulation shows that 20 ppm of scale inhibitor resulted in a scale- the water-outlet line. Benchmarking into the similar process system
inhibition percentage of 58%. Laboratory analysis shows that the in Kaji Station resulted in no deposit being found after dismantling
scale-inhibition percentage increases linearly as the scale inhibitor both the oil-outlet line and the water-outlet line of the FWKO there.
increases under H2S scavenger Brand X influence. Both stations have scale-inhibitor and H2S-scavenger injection
However, another laboratory test conducted using H2S scavenger at similar points. The difference is that Kaji Station has a higher
Brand Y shows that the scale-inhibition percentage will decrease dosage of scale inhibition than Semoga Station.
with the increase of scale-inhibitor concentration, until it reaches This paper discusses the scale-inhibitor performance behavior
the lowest value before increasing again with the increase of scale- when being injected in conjunction with H2S-scavenger injection.
inhibitor concentration. Thus, the scale-inhibitor performance under An appropriate scale-inhibitor dosage will determine scale-inhib-
H2S scavenger Brand Y influence behaves parabolically. itor performance in inhibiting scale growth.
It is concluded that H2S-scavenger injection increases system
pH, resulting in the increase of scaling tendency. However, adding CaCO3 Scale Deposition Influencing Factor
scale-inhibitor concentration is not always the answer to over- CaCO3 scale buildup in oilfield facilities has been a problem
coming scale growth resulting from this effect. It is important to for years in the wide-ranging area of the oil and gas industry, in-
understand scale-inhibitor performance behavior on certain H2S- cluding in Kaji field and Semoga field. CaCO3 scale deposition
scavenger brands before taking preventive measures. Scale-inhib- in production facilities, such as downhole tubing, pipeline, mani-
itor performance might have a linear correlation between increasing fold, or produced-water line, will bring potential production loss
concentration and scale-inhibition percentage, as shown by the be- because of severe flow restriction along the facilities and on un-
havior with H2S scavenger Brand X, but it might also have a par- even scale and may cause pitting corrosion beneath the scale,
which leads to leakage of the facilities, requiring them to be shut
down and replaced.CaCO3 scale can be formed by a combination
of calcium ion by either carbonate or bicarbonate ion, as follows
(Patton 1977):
Copyright © 2013 Society of Petroleum Engineers
Ca2++CO3=→CaCO3↓
This paper (SPE 150705) was accepted for presentation at the North Africa Technical
Conference and Exhibition, Cairo, 20–22 February 2012, and revised for publication.
Original manuscript received for review 19 March 2012. Paper peer approved 8 May 2012. Ca2++2(HCO3-)→CaCO3↓+CO2+H2O

40 Oil and Gas Facilities • February 2013

150705.indd 40 2/12/13 6:57 AM

 The necessary components and conditions for CaCO3 scale condensates (triazine) (Davies and Scott 2006). This type of H2S
formation are often present in oilfield waters and their associated scavenger is also being used in Kaji field and Semoga field. Tri-
production systems. Dissolved calcium (Ca2+) and bicarbonate azine works by quickly reacting with H2S dissolved in triazine so-
(HCO3–) ions are already present in produced water in the Kaji lution. To obtain the best result, there should be an adequate area
field and the Semoga field. The concentration of the HCO3– is gov- and contact time between H2S and triazine to react. The following
erned by the pH of the system (Sitz et al. 2003).There are four main equation is the reaction between triazine and H2S:
factors influencing CaCO3 scale buildup: partial pressure of CO2,
pH, temperature, and total dissolved salt. The lower the pH, the H2C N—R H2C S
higher the solubility of CaCO3, and the higher the pH, the lower the
+H2S
solubility of CaCO3. In the higher pH, CaCO3 will be in supersatu- R—N CH2 R—N CH2 + 2 R—NH2
ration condition and begin to crystallize. This process (the begin-
ning of crystallization) is called nucleation, and it will be followed H2C N—R H2C S
by crystal growth. The crystal grows, becoming larger over time,
and begins to precipitate. With sufficient time and good adherence Triazine Dithiazine
in surface, scale deposition will occur.
There are several solubility-calculation methods to predict the Triazine-based H2S scavenger has a very high pH to stabilize
possibility of CaCO3 scale deposition. The Stiff-Davis scaling-index the triazine and prevent decomposition to formaldehyde, which
(SI) calculation is the most-suitable method to calculate CaCO3 would not be desirable in the bulk chemical. It also improves the
scaling tendencies of oilfield brines (Davies and Scott 2006). The solubility and reaction of the sulfide ions in the brine phase, there-
value obtained from this calculation indicates the degree of scaling fore improving the efficiency of the scavenging process (Williams
tendency. A positive value means that there is CaCO3-scaling ten- et al. 2010). So despite being very effective in removing H2S, tri-
dency, while a value greater than one means that there is severe azine-based H2S scavenger has the side effect of increasing pH in
CaCO3-scaling tendency. On the other hand, if the value is nega- the system in which it is being injected. It increases the possibility
tive, the water is undersaturated with CaCO3 and scale formation is of scaling deposition in the system, because CaCO3 solubility de-
unlikely. Planned action can be carried out to monitor scale growth creases with pH increase.
immediately if calculation result shows a positive value. The Stiff-
Davis SI can be calculated with Eq. 1 (Patton 1977), from which it Chemical-Injection System in Kaji field and Semoga field
is clear that water pH increase will increase SI, meaning the scaling Kaji field and Semoga field have approximately 230 production
tendency will increase linearly with pH increase. wells, most of which have 90% water cut. All the produced water
in Kaji field and Semoga field has a Stiff-Davis SI of more than
SI=pH−K−pCa−pAlk, ........................................................ (1) one, which means they have severe scaling tendency. Ninety-two
wells are being lifted artificially by a gas-lift-injection system. The
where SI is the scaling index; pH is the actual pH of the water; and scale-inhibition treatment applied in these fields is using scale-in-
K is a constant, which is a function of salinity, composition, and hibitor injection through a gas-lift system. Scale inhibitor is in-
water temperature. Values of K are obtained from graphical corre- jected through the gas-lift system using an atomizer to ensure the
lation with ionic strength and water temperature. pCa and pAlk rep- scale inhibitor is in tiny droplets, thus allowing it to be carried by
resent the degree of alkalinity that can be obtained from calculation the gas lift into the downhole. The scale inhibitor will mix with the
or graphical correlation, respectively. producing fluid in the downhole, dissolve in the produced water,
Scale buildup can be minimized by controlling the driving force and reproduce in the producing fluid to the producing facilities.
of scale formation. One scale-controlling method is the use of scale The scale-inhibitor concentration in the Kaji field is within the
inhibitor. Scale inhibitor is a chemical that will delay, reduce, or 17.5 to 22 ppm range, while in the Semoga field, it is 9–10 ppm.
prevent scale formation when added in small amounts to a nor- Many scale coupons have been installed in production lines to mon-
mally scaling water. Most scale inhibitors used in oilfields func- itor the scale-inhibitor performance. Routine scale-coupon moni-
tion by adsorbing onto the surface of crystals while they are still toring shows that the scale growth in both Kaji field and Semoga
very tiny and just beginning to form (nucleation), preventing fur- field is less than 1 gr/in.2/yr, which means that the scale inhibitor
ther growth. In some cases, scale inhibitor prevents the precipitated works satisfactorily.
scale crystals from adhereing to solid surfaces, such as piping or Many producing wells in the Kaji field and the Semoga field
vessels (Patton 1977). also have H2S. Producing fluid from the wells is gathered in the
There are various types of scale monitoring for measuring scale gathering stations. The H2S concentration in the Kaji Station and
growth in oilfield systems. One scale-monitoring system used the Semoga Station is 200 ppm on average. To reduce the H2S con-
widely to detect scale buildup is scale coupons. Scale coupons have centration to an acceptable limit in the liquid system, H2S scav-
a similar shape to corrosion coupons, except they are perforated enger is injected into an oil-outlet FWKO in both the Kaji Station
with 6 to 8 holes. A scale coupon is placed in the system with the and the Semoga Station. The H2S scavenger injected was Brand X,
flat side facing the direction of flow. This causes turbulence and but after the contract purchase of Brand X expires, Brand Y will
pressure drop inside the holes, which emphasizes any possibility be used.
of scale deposition. Scale growth can be calculated by taking the When the separation-system problem occurred in Semoga Sta-
difference in the weight of the scale coupon before and after expo- tion at the end of January 2011, the first action was to optimize
sure for a certain period of time, after any hydrocarbon and impuri- the separation system by adjusting the control valve at FWKO #2
ties have been removed from the coupon. Scale-coupon monitoring Semoga Station. However, it has failed to give a satisfactory result.
is also used to monitor scale-inhibitor performance effectiveness Further investigation led to the dismantling of the oil-outlet line
(Patton 1977). FWKO #2 Semoga Station. It was found that the oil-outlet line at
the downstream of the LCV was clogged by deposit, leaving only
Triazine-Based H2S Scavenger 6.25% of the total sectional area of the pipe or 0.5-in. of the orig-
H2S has been a problem in Kaji field and Semoga field since 2009, inal 6-in. pipe ID. There is H2S scavenger Brand X injection at the
with an average H2S concentration of 200 ppm in system facili- downstream of the LCV on FWKO #2, with a concentration of
ties. H2S can be removed chemically by the direct injection of H2S 11,050 ppm. Fig. 1 shows the location where the deposit was found.
scavenger into the fluid stream. H2S is normally removed from The oil-outlet line of the FWKO in the Kaji Station was also dis-
produced brine and gas in oilfield streams using amine aldehyde mantled, but there was no deposit, even though it has the same H2S-

February 2013 • Oil and Gas Facilities 41

150705.indd 41 1/24/13 12:43 PM

 to flare

from separator

FWKO #2
Semoga FST

oil outlet (6″) to wash tank

to skimmer tank
H2S scavanger
injection

Fig. 1—Location of deposit found in FWKO #2 Semoga field station (marked with blue color).

scavenger injection point and dosage. The scale-inhibitor dosage in The analysis was conducted on two sets of simulation, one for
the water line in Kaji Station was within the 17.5 to 22 ppm range, H2S scavenger Brand X and the other for H2S scavenger Brand Y.
while in the Semoga Station, it was only 9–10 ppm. This incident For the first simulation set, two test cells of synthetic brine and 12
has caused a preventable production loss of 8,190 barrels of oil ppm of scale inhibitor were prepared and then 11,050 ppm of H2S
scavenger Brand X was added to one of the test cells. This simula-
Methodology tion was to measure the decrease of scale-inhibition percentage in
Laboratory Analysis To Identify Deposits. The deposit was iden- the Semoga Station water system in the presence of H2S scavenger
tified using two methods, one method being solubility analysis and Brand X. Another two test cells of synthetic brine and 20 ppm of
the other method being XRD and XRF analysis. Solubility anal- scale inhibitor were prepared. One of the test cells was given an
ysis consisted of using two types of solvent: toluene and 32% hy- addition of 11,050 ppm of H2S scavenger Brand X. This simula-
drochloric acid (HCl). Toluene dissolves any hydrocarbon matter, tion was to determine the scale-inhibition-percentage value that
while 32% HCl dissolves inorganic minerals, such as CaCO3 and has been able to prevent scale growth in FWKO Kaji Station, even
corrosion products. The deposit was immersed in 100 mL toluene with H2S scavenger Brand X injection. Another test cell of syn-
in a glass beaker and stirred for a few minutes. The remaining de- thetic brine and 9 ppm of scale inhibitor was prepared and 11,050
posit was lifted from the solution and dried. Afterward, the deposit ppm of H2S scavenger Brand X was added to the test cell to deter-
was immersed in 100 mL of 32% HCl and left to react. This method mine the scale-inhibition-percentage value in outlet-oil line FWKO
gives qualitative results only. #2 Semoga Station.The second simulation was conducted to deter-
The quantitative result of deposit identification was conducted mine the scale-inhibitor performance behavior with H2S scavenger
by XRD and XRF analysis. Bulk crystallized compounds of the de- Brand Y injection, because this brand will be used after the contract
posit can be analyzed by XRD for compound composition, and the purchase of Brand X has expired. Three test cells with synthetic
compounds that are not crystallized well can be analyzed for el- brine and 9 ppm of scale inhibitor were prepared to simulate the
emental composition by XRF (Craig 2005). Combining these two scale-inhibitor concentration in the Semoga Station water system.
analysis methods will give approximate quantitative composition of No H2S scavenger was added on the first test cell, while the second
the compounds in the deposit. cell was given an addition of 680.5 ppm of H2S scavenger Brand Y
and the third test cell was given an addition of 1,361 ppm of H2S
Laboratory Analysis To Measure Scale-Inhibition Percentage scavenger Brand Y. The two values of H2S scavenger Brand Y ad-
The laboratory analysis to measure scale-inhibition percentage is dition were conducted to cover the fluctuation range of H2S scav-
based on National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) enger Brand Y injection in the station.
Standard TM0374-2007 laboratory screening test to determine the Another three test cells with synthetic brine and 11.5 ppm of
ability of scale inhibitors to prevent the precipitation of calcium scale inhibitor were prepared to simulate the scale-inhibitor con-
sulfate and CaCO3 from the solution (for oil- and gas-production centration in the Kaji Station water system. No H2S scavenger was
systems) with customization to account for H2S-scavenger effect. added on the first test cell, while the second cell had an addition of
The synthetic brine used in the analysis had the actual water chem- 1,191 ppm of H2S scavenger Brand Y and the third test cell had an
istry of the produced water in the field, instead of the water compo- addition of 2,381 ppm of H2S scavenger Brand Y. These analyses
sition provided in NACE Standard TM0374-2007.The blank solu- were performed to simulate the lower range of scale-inhibitor in-
tion used was the synthetic brine with the actual water chemistry of jection in Kaji Station with the range of H2S scavenger injection
the produced water in the field and without any scale inhibitor or fluctuation.To simulate the higher range of scale-inhibitor injec-
H2S scavenger. The Ca2+ concentration of the blank solution was tion in Kaji Station, another three test cells with synthetic brine and
determined before and after precipitation. The precipitation proce- 17.5 ppm of scale inhibitor were prepared. Just like the previous
dure was conducted by immersing the blank test cell to 75% of its analysis, no H2S scavenger was added on the first test cell, while
length in a water bath at 71±1°C (160±°F) for 24 hours. After the the second test cell had an addition of 1,191 ppm of H2S scavenger
24-hour exposure, the test cell was removed from the water bath Brand Y and the third test cell had an addition of 2,381 ppm of H2S
carefully to avoid any agitation. The test cell was allowed to cool to scavenger Brand Y.
25±5°C (77±9°F) for a time not to exceed two hours. When mea- Another set of simulations was conducted to ensure scale-inhib-
suring Ca2+ after precipitation, it must be ensured that the CaCO3 itor performance under a variety of scale-inhibitor concentrations
crystal stays at the bottom of the test cell and, thus, not be included and a uniform H2S scavenger Brand Y concentration. The first test
in the measurement. cell consisted of 20 ppm of scale inhibitor without H2S scavenger

42 Oil and Gas Facilities • February 2013

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 (a) (b)

Fig. 2—Deposits found in FWKO #2 Semoga field station: (a)

hard deposit and (b) brittle and loose deposit.

addition, while the second test cell had the same scale-inhibitor (a) (b)
concentration but with an additional 2,530 ppm of H2S scavenger
Brand Y. The third test cell had a scale-inhibitor concentration of Fig. 3—Solubility test on deposit: (a) in toluene and
40 ppm and the same H2S scavenger Brand Y concentration, while (b) in 32% HCl.
the fourth test cell had a scale-inhibitor concentration of 50 ppm in-
stead.Ca2+ concentration of all the solutions was measured after the
precipitation procedure. The measured Ca2+ was used to calculate quantitative deposit identification. Table 1 shows the XRD result,
scale-inhibition percentage by using the following equation: while Table 2 shows the XRF result. XRD analysis confirms that
the mineral in the deposit is calcite, which is a carbonate mineral.
XRF analysis shows that calcium accounts for 55.64% of the chem-
Ca − Cb
%Inhibition = ×100 % , .............................................. (2) ical composition of the deposit, which is the major component in
Cc − Ch the deposit. The second major component is magnesium, which ac-
counts for 16.63% of the deposit. These results confirm that the de-
where Ca is the Ca2+ concentration in the treated sample after posit is CaCO3, which is the type of scale found in the Rimau block.
precipitation, Cb is the Ca2+ concentration in the blank after
­precipitation, and Cc is the Ca2+ concentration in the blank be- Scale-Inhibitor Performance. The scale inhibitor behaves differ-
fore precipitation. ently when there is H2S-scavenger injection as compared with no
injection. The scale inhibitor also behaves differently depending on
Data and Analysis the H2S-scavenger brand, as will be discussed in more detail in the
Deposit Identification. The color of the deposit found is browni- following subsections.
sh-black with a hydrocarbon odor. By visual inspection, it is deter- Under the Influence of H2S Scavenger Brand X. Table 3 shows
mined that there are two kinds of deposit: one is the hard deposit, the laboratory result for the scale-inhibition percentage for H2S
similar to normal CaCO3 scale, while the other is brittle and loose. scavenger Brand X. System A, which is a 12-ppm scale inhibitor,
The hard deposit has layers such as typical CaCO3 scale, which is represents the normal condition of scale-inhibitor performance in
formed continuously over time. These two deposits are shown in the system without any H2S-scavenger injection. On the other hand,
Fig. 2. System B, which comprises 12-ppm scale inhibitor and 11,050-ppm
Solubility analysis proves that the deposit is not hydrocarbon- H2S scavenger Brand X, represents the scale-inhibitor performance
based, because no reaction occurred during immersion in toluene. in the system with H2S-scavenger injection. The scale-inhibition
On the other hand, there was a strong reaction when the deposit percentage dropped from 97.2 to 35.2%, which means that the
was immersed in 32% HCl, resulting in vigorous bubbles and a scale-inhibitor performance is degrading approximately 63.5%
brownish-black mass. The 32% HCl is a strong acid, which dis- under H2S scavenger Brand X influence when the scale-inhibitor
solves inorganic minerals such as CaCO3 and corrosion product. dosage is 12 ppm.Meanwhile, System C simulates the stream in
The bubbles indicate the reaction between inorganic minerals and the system of Kaji Station, in which the scale-inhibitor dosage is
the corrosion product, while the brownish-black mass indicates 20 ppm without H2S-scavenger injection. The scale-inhibition per-
the hydrocarbon-based deposit, which did not react with the HCl. centage for System C is 90.8%, lower than the scale-inhibition per-
Fig. 3 shows the result of this immersion test. centage on Semoga Station, as represented by System A. However,
Because the immersion test gives a qualitative result, XRD and when the scale-inhibition percentage at the oil-outlet FWKO Kaji
XRF analyses were conducted at a certified laboratory to find the Station (where no deposition occurred) was simulated by System

TABLE 1—DEPOSIT ANALYSIS USING XRD

Carbonate
Clay Minerals (%) Minerals (%) Other Minerals (%) Total (%)
Magnesian

Carbonate
Plagiqclas
K - Felds
Dolomite
Smectite

Kaolinite

Chlorite

Siderite
Calcite

Quartz

Pyrite

Other
Clay
Illite

Depth
(m)

– – – – – 100 – 0 0 – – – – 100 0

February 2013 • Oil and Gas Facilities 43

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 H2S scavenger Brand X. The scale-inhibition percentage is only
TABLE 2—DEPOSIT ANALYSIS USING XRF
1.8%, which means that the scale inhibitor does nothing to inhibit
Element Result (%wt) the scale growth in the oil-outlet FWKO #2 Semoga Station. There-
Antimony, Sb 0.002 fore, the scale was deposited along the line severely.
The analyses show that scale-inhibitor performance is degrading
Tin, Sn <0.001
with the higher scale-inhibitor concentration when there is no H2S-
Cadmium, Cd 0.06 scavenger injection. The scale-inhibitor performance will degrade
Paladium, Pd <0.002 under the influence of H2S-scavenger injection, but the perfor-
Silver, Ag 0.05 mance-degradation percentage is less if the scale-inhibitor dosage
Barium, Ba 5.170 is higher. Scale-inhibitor performance with H2S scavenger Brand
Molybdenum, Mo 0.001 X injection increases with the increasing scale-inhibitor concen-
Niobium, Nb <0.001 tration. This is contrary to its behavior when there is no H2S-scav-
Zirconium, Zr <0.001 enger injection.
Under the Influence of H2S Scavenger Brand Y. When the same
Strontium, Sr 7.115
testing procedure was carried out on H2S scavenger Brand Y, dif-
Rubidium, Rb <0.0002 ferent results were obtained. Table 4 shows the laboratory-anal-
Bismuth, Bi <0.002 ysis results on the scale-inhibition percentage under a variety of
Arsenic, As 0.0047 scale-inhibitor and H2S-scavenger dosages. Systems F, I, L, and
Selenium, Se <0.0003 O show the scale-inhibition percentage of 9 ppm, 11.5 ppm, 17.5
Platinum, Pt <0.002 ppm, and 20 ppm of scale inhibitor, respectively. The laboratory
Lead, Pb 0.305 analysis shows that 9 ppm of scale inhibitor gives a greater scale-
Tungsten, W <0.002 inhibition percentage, while 20 ppm of scale inhibitor is the lowest
among the four systems. The analyses once again show that scale-
Zinc, Zn 0.188
inhibitor performance is degrading with the higher scale-inhibitor
Copper, Cu 0.025 concentration when there is no H2S-scavenger injection.
Nickel, Ni 0.032 Systems F, G, and H have 0 ppm, 680.5 ppm, and 1,361 ppm of
Cobalt, Co <0.001 H2S scavenger, respectively, with 9 ppm of scale inhibitor. As pre-
Iron, Fe 4.856 dicted, the scale-inhibition percentage decreases with the increase
Manganese, Mn 0.179 of H2S-scavenger concentration. This result is also shown on Sys-
Chromium, Cr <0.002 tems I, J, and K, which have 0 ppm, 1,191, and 2,381 ppm of H2S
Vanadium, V 0.001 scavenger and 11.5 ppm of scale inhibitor, respectively. And also
with Systems L, M, and N, which have 17.5 ppm of scale inhib-
Titanium, Ti <0.001
itor with the same H2S-scavenger concentration as Systems I, J,
Calcium, Ca 55.641 and K.The scale-inhibition percentage is degrading 6.65% with
Kalium, K 0.190 the addition of 1,191 ppm of H2S scavenger when the scale-inhib-
Sodium, Na 6.590 itor concentration is 11.5 ppm, as shown by System J. Meanwhile,
Silica, Si 0.419 System M shows that the scale-inhibition percentage is only de-
Aluminum, Al 0.181 creasing 5% when the scale inhibitor is 17.5 ppm. System K shows
Magnesium, Mg 16.631 that the scale-inhibition percentage is degrading 13.3% with the
Sulphur, S 1.604 addition of 2,381 ppm of H2S scavenger when the scale-inhibitor
concentration is 11.5 ppm, while it is only decreasing 12.45% when
the scale inhibitor is 17.5 ppm, as shown by System N. The larger
concentration of scale inhibitor resulted in a lower-percentage deg-
D, which comprises 20-ppm scale inhibitor and 11,050-ppm H2S radation of scale-inhibition percentage under the same H2S-scav-
scavenger Brand X, the scale-inhibition percentage becomes 58%. enger ­concentration.
The scale-inhibitor performance is degrading 36% under the H2S- System P, which has 20 ppm of scale inhibitor with 2,530 ppm
scavenger influence when the scale-inhibitor dosage is 20 ppm. The of H2S-scavenger concentration, resulted in a scale-inhibition per-
scale-inhibition percentage in System D is lower than expected, yet centage of 60.7%. When the scale-inhibitor concentration is in-
it means that with only 58% scale inhibition in the laboratory sim- creased to 40 ppm and 50 ppm, as simulated by system Q and R,
ulation, there will be no scale deposition in the actual system in respectively, the scale-inhibition percentage increases to 82.1% and
the field. 95.4%. Systems P, Q, and R show that higher scale-inhibitor con-
System E simulates the stream in oil-outlet FWKO #2 Semoga centration with the same H2S-scavenger concentration will give
Station, which comprises 9-ppm scale inhibitor and 11,050-ppm higher scale-inhibition percentage.

TABLE 3—SCALE-INHIBITION PERCENTAGE FOR SCALE INHIBITOR

UNDER H2S BRAND X INFLUENCE

Percentage Scale
System Code Scale Inhibitor (ppm) H2S Scavenger (ppm) Inhibition

A 12 0 97.2
B 12 11,050 35.2
C 20 0 90.8
D 20 11,050 58
E 9 11,050 1.8

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 TABLE 4—SCALE-INHIBITION PERCENTAGE FOR SCALE INHIBITOR
UNDER H2S BRAND Y INFLUENCE

Percentage Scale
System Code Scale Inhibitor (ppm) H2s Scavenger (ppm) Inhibition

F 9 0 99.3
G 9 680.5 97.7
H 9 1,361 96.2
I 11.5 0 97.8
J 11.5 1,191 91.3
K 11.5 2,381 84.8
L 17.5 0 92.4
M 17.5 1,191 87.7
N 17.5 2,381 80.9
O 20 0 90.8
P 20 2,530 60.7
Q 40 2,530 82.1
R 50 2,530 95.4

However, upon closer observation of the scale-inhibition per- Cc = Ca2+ concentration in the blank before precipitation
centage on Systems K, N, P, Q, and R, which all have approxi-
mate H2S-scavenger concentration (2,381 ppm on Systems K and Acknowledgements
N and 2,530 ppm on Systems P, Q, and R), there is different scale- The authors wish to thank PT Medco E&P Indonesia, Production
inhibitor performance behavior. System K has 9 ppm of scale in- Department Rimau Asset, Surface Facilities Engineering Division,
hibitor, and its scale-inhibition percentage is 84.8%. System N has and Surface Facilities Engineering Rimau for their contributions to
11.5 ppm of scale inhibitor, and its scale-inhibition percentage is the success of this case study.
80.9%. System P has 20 ppm of scale inhibitor, and its scale-inhi-
bition percentage is 60.7%. These results show that the scale-inhi- References
bition percentage is degrading with the increase of scale-inhibitor Craig, B.D. 2005. Oilfield Metallurgy and Corrosion, third edition. Denver,
concentration. However, when the scale-inhibitor concentration is Colorado: MetCorr.
increased to 40 ppm, as in System Q, then the scale-inhibition per- Davies, M. and Scott, P.J.B. 2006. Oilfield Water Technology. Houston,
centage increases to 82.1%. And with an even higher scale-inhib- Texas: NACE International.
itor concentration of 50 ppm, as in System R, the scale-inhibition NACE TM0374-2007, Laboratory Screening Tests to Determine the Ability
percentage becomes 95.4%. These results show that the scale-in- of Scale Inhibitors to Prevent the Precipitation of Calcium Sulfate and
hibition percentage will decrease with the increase of scale-inhib- Calcium Carbonate from Solution (for Oil and Gas Production Sys-
itor concentration until it reaches the lowest value before increasing tems). 2007. Houston, Texas: NACE International. [name correction]
again with the increase of scale-inhibitor concentration. Thus, the Patton, C.C. 1977. Oilfield Water Systems, second edition. Norman, Okla-
scale-inhibitor performance in a system with H2S scavenger Brand homa: Campbell Petroleum Series.
Y injection behaves parabolically. Sitz, C.D., Barbin, D.K., and Hampton, B.J. 2003. Scale Control in a Hy-
drogen Sulfide Treatment Program. Paper SPE 80235 presented at the
Conclusion International Symposium on Oilfield Chemistry, Houston, 5–7 Feb-
H2S-scavenger injection will affect scale-inhibitor performance ruary. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/80235-MS.
because it will degrade the scale-inhibition percentage compared Williams, H., Dyer, S., Bezerra, M.C.M. et al. 2010. The Effect of Sul-
with the system without H2S-scavenger injection. In maintaining fide Scavengers on Scaling Tendency and Scale Inhibitor Per-
the scale-inhibitor performance to prevent scale growth, increasing formance. Paper SPE 131115 presented at the SPE International
scale-inhibitor dosage is not always the answer. It is important to Conference on Oilfield Scale, Aberdeen, 26–27 May. http://dx.doi.
understand that scale-inhibitor performance behavior on a certain org/10.2118/131115-MS.
H2S-scavenger brand before taking preventive measures. Scale-in-
hibitor performance might have a linear correlation between in-
creasing concentration and scale-inhibition percentage, as shown Meiliza Sumestry has been a chemical and corrosion engineer with PT
by the behavior with H2S scavenger Brand X, but it might also have Medco E&P Indonesia since March 2006 and is currently the Section
a parabolic correlation, as shown by the behavior with H2S scav- Officer for Student Section of National Association of Corrosion Engi-
enger Brand Y or even another correlation type. neer Indonesia Jakarta Section (NACE IJS). She was a coauthor of SPE
Proper understanding of scale-inhibitor behavior under certain 130060, “Surfactant Stimulation To Increase Reserves in Carbonate
H2S-scavenger-brand injection is necessary to avoid loss in produc- Reservoir: A Case Study in Semoga Field,” presented in the poster ses-
tion caused by scale-deposition issues. By applying the appropriate sion of the SPE EUROPEC/EAGE Annual Conference and Exhibition
scale-inhibitor concentration on an H2S-scavenger-influenced held in Barcelona, Spain, 14–17 June 2010.
system, the production loss of 8,190 barrels of oil in Semoga Sta-
tion could have been prevented. Hendy Tedjawidjaja has more than 5 years of experience working in
chemical and corrosion engineering with PT Medco E&P Indonesia. He
Nomenclature is the author of the paper “How To Manage Calcium Carbonate Scale In
Ca = Ca2+ concentration in the treated sample after precipitation Rimau Asset,” presented at the Second Onshore Technology Asia Con-
Cb = Ca2+ concentration in the blank after precipitation ference in 2010. He is a member of SPE and NACE.

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